Campus Ministry

By Crystal Sullivan

Pope Francis will hold a synod on youth, faith, and vocational discernment in 2018. This means that Church leadership from around the world will gather to discuss what they have learned about what youth and young adults need most from the Church at this time in history. In preparation, I was among a gathering of College students from around the country who offered some advice on what they hoped to hear from Pope Francis. Here is some of their wisdom:

Remember that faith has its ups and downs,

                and that is normal.

Lean into questions about faith and Church

                because learning deepens faith.

Young adults have ideas that matter.

Listen to us.

Encourage us to learn how to be genuine in dialogue with

                others—we’ve lost this.

Teach us how to fill our many desires

                with God.

Invite us to enter fully into the Word of God

                and to feel our faith as Catholics.

Ask us to give our faith a second chance,

especially when we dismiss aspects of it.

Help us see the relevance of faith

 for our everyday lives.

Speak about the Church

with refreshing vibrancy.

Inspire us to raise our voices for social justice

                as an expression of our faith.

Challenge us to be leaders in our faith

                no matter our profession.

If Pope Francis were giving you advice today, what do you need to hear most? Take some time to reflect on this as part of your Lenten journey.